Wheelbarrow.



UNITED STATE Patented. December 27, 1904.

PATENT OF ICE.

CHARLES A. BAKER, OF WAUKESI-IA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO STERLINGWHEEL-BARROW COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A OORPORA TION OFWISCONSIN.

WHEELBARBOW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,395, dated December27, 1904. Application filed January '7, 1904:. Serial No. 188,014.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. BAKER, residing at Waukesha, in thecounty of Waukesha and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Wheelbarrows, of which the following is adescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which area part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvementsin wheelbarrows.

In an ordinary form of wheelbarrow the tray of the barrow is open atopposite sides, so that the dumping may be effected at either side,

and in other forms of Wheelbarrows the tray is, made up of a fixed-frontpiece and removable side pieces, and in order to effect the dumping theside pieces are required to be removed and the barrow tilted sidewise.In the forms of wheelbarrows referred to and in allother forms ofwheelbarrows, so far as I am aware, the tray is arranged back of theWheel of the barrow, so that when said barrowis loaded and pushed alongthe major portion of the weight is on the handles;

It is the primary object of my invention to provide an improvedconstruction of wheelbarrow in which the unloading or dumping iseffected at the frontend of the barrow and the wheel is disposed beneaththe tray, without projecting beyond the front endof the tray, so thatthe load is over said wheel, and hence a minimum of the weight is on thehandles, whereby the barrow is capable of carrying a very heavy loadwith the least possible effort and at the same time, by reason of theprovision of the front dump, the strain which is necessarily exerted onthe wheel in barrows of the sidewise-tilt type is avoided.

With the above primary and other inci dental objects in view theinvention consists the tray of the barrow, taken on a plane centrallythrough said tray. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through theantifriction-bearing for the Wheel, the antifriction-rollersbeingornitted; and Figr5 is a cross-section through said bearing,takenon a plane through one of the cups 18.

The supporting-framework for the tray of the wheelbarrow may be of anydesirable form; but the specific form shown in the accompanying drawingsis found in practice to be desirable. This specific framework consistsof the uprights 6 6, which at their upper ends are connected to therearend piece of the tray and at their lower .ends are connected by across-piece 7. Diagonal brace-bars 8 8 are connected at their rearendsto the lower ends of the uprights and at their forward ends totheunder side of the tray. The handle-bars or arms 9 9 also constitute aportion of the frame and are disposed against and bolted to the innersides of'the diagonal brace-bars 8 and are extended forwardly a slightdistance therefrom and are then extended rearwardly in divergent linesadjacent and bolted to the out er'sides of the upright 6 and thenceextended some distance rearwardly to form the handles.

The tray of the barrow is 'advisably of scoop formthat is to say, is ofconcavo-convex shape in cross-section and is provided with a rear endpiece, while the forward end is open,

the upper side edges gradually curving downwardly to the front edge ofthe, tray. The tray maybe constructed of metal or any other desirablematerial; but I prefer to construct it of a series of longitudinal slatsor strips 10, placed edge to edge and connected together by means oftransverse bolts 11 11. The opposite ends of these bolts are threaded toreceive nuts 12. After the slats are connected together in the mannerdescribed they are then bent into the curved or concave formillustrated, the bolts being at the same time bent to conform to thecontour given'to the slats. It will be noticed that the longitudinalslats or strips are cut, at an angle, so that they may be readily shapedto the form illustrated. The rear end of the tray thus formed is closedby means of a wooden end piece 13.

The forward ends of the handle-bars or arms have connected theretoforwardly-extending straps 14 14, which are provided with openings inwhich the opposite ends of the axle 15 are fitted. On this axle the hubof the wheel 16 is adapted to revolve. The forward ends of thehandle-bars or arms 9 and the forward extremity of the bearing-strapssecured thereto are so positioned that the wheel will be disposed at apoint beneath the tray and without'projecting beyond the forward end ofthe tray and at such location that the maximum amount of the weight willbe directly over the wheel. By this disposition of the wheel there isvery little weight on the handles, and consequently the operator canlift the barrow and push the same along with very little effort,notwithstanding the fact that the barrow may be very heavily loaded.

It will be further noted that the tray is so secured to thesupporting-framework as to be on a gradual declination from the fronttoward the rear. By thusinclining the tray when the same is lifted fromthe rear by the handles there is very little danger of the contents ofthe tray passing out of the front open end, for the reason that therearward tilt of the tray prevents a forward inclination thereof whenthe tray is lifted by raising the handles, whereas if the tray were onahorizontal plane and the tray lifted by the uplifting of the handlesthe said tray would be brought to a forward inclination, and therebypermit the contents thereof, especially when loaded with liquid orsemiliquid material, such as concrete in its Wet condition, to pass outof the front open end of the tray.

Another important advantage possessed by a wheelbarrow of theconstruction herein shown and describedviz., wherein the dump is fromthe forward end of the tray instead of from the sides thereof-is thatthe tray is capable of carrying a considerably greater load, inasmuch asin barrows in which the tray is adapted to dump at opposite sides thesaid tray necessarily has a limited carrying capacity.

Another important advantage possessed by a front-dump construction, suchas herein shown and described, is that in the operation of dischargingthe contents of the tray there is no strain on the wheel, whereas inbarrows of the sidewise-dump type, whenever the barrow is tilted toeither side for the purpose of discharging a severe lateral strain isnecessarily produced on the wheel.

In the improved form of wheelbarrow hereinbefore described it isessential to successful operation that the wheel should be revolved withthe greatest possible freedom or with the least possible frictionalretardation. .I therefore employ in connection and combination with mywheelbarrow an improved form of antifriction roller-bearings for thewheel, which will now be particularly referred to and which are clearlyillustrated in Figs. 14' and 5 of the drawings. The importance ofproviding a free bearing for the wheel in this particular form ofwheelbarrow, wherein the wheel is disposed beneath the load, will bereadily appreciated, inasmuch as without a free antifriction-bearingthere would be necessarily produced a friction between the hub of thewheel and the axis or shaft of said wheel, owing to the fact that theload bears directly down upon the axle. To guard against this, I providethe improved form of antifriction roller-bearings herein illustrated.Referring particularly to this construction, the numeral 17 indicatesthe hub of the wheel, which is provided with the usual sockets orpockets for the spokes. This hub surrounds the axle 15, with aconsiderable space between said axle and the hub, and the opposite endsof the hub are provided interiorly with cups 18, in which are disposed aseries of elongated rollers 19, of hardened steel or other desirablematerial, and which completely surround or form a complete circle aroundthe shaft. The opposite ends of the shaft project slightly beyond theends of the hub and are threaded, and these threaded ends engagethreaded openings in the bearing-arms 14-. By this con struction it willbe seen that I provide a free roller-bearing for the hub of the wheel ofsuch construction that friction is reduced to the minimum,notwithstanding the fact that the load is directly above the wheel, and,furthermore, a construction is provided of such character that shouldthe supporting-frame for the tray get out of true the lOllOP-lfllillings will not be affected thereby, but will run with freedom and theminimum frictional resistance.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a wheelbarrow, the combination ofa supporting-frame, projecting handles, a tray supported by the frameand having an open front end, said tray consisting of the bottom, theside pieces extending upwardly from the bottom, and the rear end pieceforming a closure for the rear end of the tray, the said bottom of thetray being on a straight line from the rear closed end to the front openend thereof, and a wheel located beneath the tray and at such distanceback of the front end thereof as not to project beyond said front end,the wheel being thereby located in such position as to have a portion ofthe load carried by the tray directly thereabove.

2. In a wheelbarrow, the combination of a supporting-frame, projectinghandles, a tray supported by the frame, and having an open front end,said tray consisting of the bottom, the side pieces extending upwardlyfrom the bottom, and the rear end piece forming a closure for the rearend of the tray, the said bot tom of the tray being on a straight linefrom the rear closed end to the front open end thereof, and the entiretray being on a slight decline from the front end rearwardly, and aWheel located beneath the tray and at such distance back of the frontend thereof as not to project beyond said front end, the Wheel beingthereby located in such position as to have a portion of the loadcarried by the tray directly thereabove.

3. In a Wheelbarrow the combination of a supporting-frame, projectinghandles, a Wheel journaled in the frame, and a tray supported by theframe and consisting of a series of longitudinal slats arranged edge toedge and connected by transverse bolts and bent into concavo-convexform, the rear end of said traybeing closed by a rear end piece, and thefront end of the tray being open for the discharge of the load from thetray.

the Wheel, cups in opposite ends of the hub,

roller-bearings in the cups and surrounding the axle, and bearing-armsextending from the frame and having the opposite ends of the axlemounted therein.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

CHARLES A. BAKER.

Witnesses:

O. T. BENEDICT, ANNA F. SCHMIDTBAUER

